[Federal Register: April 30, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 83)]
[Notices]
[Page 23124-23126]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30ap03-46]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPPT-2002-0036; FRL-7490-1]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission of New EPA
ICR No. 2088.01 to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.), this document announces that the following new Information
Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Reporting and Recordkeeping
Requirements under EPA's Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E)
Program (EPA ICR No. 2088.01). The ICR, which is abstracted below,
describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated
burden and cost. On August 19, 2002 (67 FR 53789), EPA sought comments
on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA has addressed the comments
received.
DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before May 30, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket ID number OPPT-
2002-0036, to both (1) EPA online at http://www.epa.gov/edocket (our
preferred method) or by mail to: EPA
[[Page 23125]]
Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 7407T, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB at: Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget
(OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20503.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Cunningham, Acting Director,
Environmental Assistance Division, Office of Pollution Prevention and
Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 7408, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-
554-1404; e-mail address: TSCA-Hotline@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following new ICR to
OMB for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5
CFR 1320.10.
EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID
No. OPPT-2002-0036, which is available for public viewing at the EPA
Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave.,
NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is (202) 566-1744,
and the telephone number for the Pollution Prevention and Toxics Docket
is (202) 566-0280. An electronic version of the public docket is
available through EDOCKET at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. Use EDOCKET to
submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the
contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in the
public docket that are available electronically. Once in the system,
select ``search,'' then key in the docket ID number identified above.
Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB
within 30 days of this notice. EPA's policy is that public comments,
whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available
for public viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change,
unless the comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other
information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA
identifies a comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide
a reference to that material in the version of the comment that is
placed in EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the
copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket. Although
identified as an item in the official docket, information claimed as
CBI, or whose disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not
included in the official public docket, and will not be available for
public viewing in EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic
docket, see EPA's Federal Register notice describing the electronic
docket at 67 FR 38102 (May 31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov/edocket
.
Title: Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements under EPA's
Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) Program (EPA ICR No.
2088.01). This is a request for a new collection activity submitted
pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.10.
Abstract: The Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) program is
a voluntary partnership program jointly administered by EPA and the
American Hospital Association (AHA) that helps hospitals enhance work
place safety, reduce waste and waste disposal costs, and become better
environmental stewards and neighbors. The program is based on a 1998
Memorandum of Understanding signed by AHA and EPA to provide health
care professionals with the tools and information necessary to reduce
mercury waste, reduce the overall volume of waste, and identify
pollution prevention opportunities.
The H2E program has two elements, the Partners for Change Program
and the Champions for Change Program. The Partners for Change Program
recognizes health care facilities that pledge support to the H2E
mission and develop goals for reducing waste and mercury in their own
facilities. The Champions for Change Program recognizes organizations
that encourage and aid health care facilities to participate as H2E
Partners, provide on-going promotional or technical assistance
information, or make changes that support the goals of the H2E Program
in their own institutions. An organization's decision to participate in
the H2E Program is completely voluntary. This information collection
addresses reporting and recordkeeping activities that support the
administration of the H2E program.
Participation begins with the completion of and submittal to EPA of
either a Partner Registration and Pledge Form or a Champion for Change
Application form that provides EPA with general organizational
information. Once an organization joins the Partners for Change
Program, EPA expects new Partners to spend time up-front in
establishing a solid foundation for H2E initiatives by documenting
their environmental baseline when they first join H2E and by setting
their own facility performance goals, and allots six months for
Partners to establish their goals. During the first year and in all
subsequent years, a Partner will submit the Annual Facility Assessment
Summary and Goals Form. This form is designed to help a facility
establish its own environmental baseline, continue to track its own
environmental progress, provide basic contact and facility information,
waste and mercury assessment summaries, environmental policy
information, and a description of its pollution prevention (P2)/waste
reduction goals and activities. EPA expects organizations to implement
their H2E programs and report on their progress by January 31 of each
subsequent year after joining, unless less than nine months have passed
since the initial submission. The Annual Facility Assessment Summary
and Goals Form is the main way Partners for Change report their
environmental progress to EPA.
Partners and Champions may also apply for various H2E awards by
submitting an Awards Application Form, the burden for which is also
addressed in this ICR.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control numbers for EPA's
regulations in title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal
Register, are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and included on the related
collection instrument or form, if applicable.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to range between
0.5 and 20 hours per response, depending upon the type of information
the respondent provides. Burden means the total time, effort, or
financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain,
or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This
includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire,
install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of
collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information;
adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable
instructions and requirements; train personnel to be able to respond to
a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review
the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the
information.
Respondents/Affected Entities: Establishments or organizations
engaged
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in furnishing medical, surgical or other health services to
individuals.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 550.
Frequency of Response: Annually.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 10,110 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $343,765. There are no annualized
capital or O&M costs.
Changes in the Estimates: None. This is a new information
collection.
Dated: April 22, 2003.
Richard T. Westlund,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 03-10653 Filed 4-29-03; 8:45 am]
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